Letter written by Napoléon Bonaparte at age 14

- 1784

Writing to his cousin Arigo di Casaneuva from military school in Paris, Napoléon details his day-to-day schedule, showing his organizational skills as well as his command of French, which was not his first language. Still using the original Italian spelling of his name, which he would later convert to the French form, he signs the letter “Napolione di Buonaparte.”